Fallen Marine's son surprised with dad's restored truck

Austin Harrell, the son of Marine Staff Sgt. Bill Harrell who was killed in Iraq more than seven years ago was surprised when a local mechanic, Eric Minor presented his father's restored Chevy pickup truck after investing more than $10,000 of his own money fixing the truck.SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Austin Harrell was just 7 when his father died in Iraq, but he still remembers riding in his dad's 1993 Chevy pickup.

They went to the beach a lot. Sometimes the family would take Dad to work.

As his 16th birthday neared, Austin kept asking his mother, Kelli Harrell, if he could have the old truck. The Chevy had been baking in the sun for eight years at Camp Pendleton, where Harrell's friends stored it for the family.

Mom wavered. Because it was unregistered and its tires were hard as concrete, getting that truck in cruising condition was going to be a project.

But then something happened that changed everything.

•••

This story begins April 8, 2004, when Sgt. Bill Harrell's platoon was called to assist another unit that was taking small-arms fire in Fallujah, Iraq. As he provided cover file for his fellow Marines, who were crossing a field, a sniper's bullet struck Harrell in the upper left shoulder. It hit an artery.

Later, Kelli Harrell was told that even if her husband had been on the steps of the best trauma hospital when he was shot, surgeons wouldn't have been able to stop him from bleeding out.

But as Austin Harrell got closer to driving age, he persisted – he wanted to drive his dad's pickup.

The problem was money.

It was going to cost the Harrells as much as $2,000 to get the truck into working shape. That would be tough for the single mom who does office work for a mirror-and-glass subcontractor near their home in Placentia.

Austin Harrell, the son of Marine Staff Sgt. Bill Harrell who was killed in Iraq more than seven years ago was surprised when a local mechanic, Eric Minor presented his father's restored Chevy pickup truck after investing more than $10,000 of his own money fixing the truck. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Eric Minor, owner of Minor Auto Care in Placentia with a the 1993 Chevy truck he and his crew and friends restored for Austin Harrell, the son of Marine Staff Sgt. Bill Harrell who was killed in Iraq more than seven years ago. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The crew at Minor Auto Care plus some friends pose in front of a 1993 Chevy short bed truck they restored and presented to Austin Harrell, the son of Marine Staff Sgt. Bill Harrell who was killed in Iraq more than seven years ago. The truck originally belonged to Sgt. Harrell and sat for seven years after his death. The crew are from left, Oscar Mota, Ryan Watson, Eric Minor, Tim Tonkin, DJ Hill and Mike Abarca. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Austin Harrell, left, the son of Marine Staff Sgt. Bill Harrell who was killed in Iraq more than seven years ago, his mother, Kelli Harrell, center, and grandmother Mary Johnson all react as the 1993 Chevy truck belonging to Sgt. Harrell is presented to Austin last week. The truck sat, unregistered and not driven for seven years until local business owner Eric Minor volunteered to restore it at a cost of more than $10,000. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Mike Abarca does last minute detailing on the 1993 Chevy truck for Austin Harrell, the son of Marine Staff Sgt. Bill Harrell who was killed in Iraq more than seven years ago. The truck belonged to his father and sat unused after his death until local business owner Eric Minor and his crew and friends doanted more than $7,000 of their own money and time restoring it. The truck was presented to Austin the day aftrer his 16th birthday. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The 1993 Chevy truck was last registered in 2005 and sat unused for seven years. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Austin Harrell, the son of Marine Staff Sgt. Bill Harrell who was killed in Iraq more than seven years ago was surprised when a local mechanic, Eric Minor presented his father's restored Chevy pickup. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Austin Harrell, left, looks under the hood of the 1993 Chevy truck restored by Eric Minor, center. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Eric Minor, owner of Minor Auto Care in Placentia, gets a hug from Kelli Harrell, mother of Austin Harrell and widow of Marine Staff Sgt. Bill Harrell. Minor presented Sgt. Harrell's 1993 Chevy truck to her son, Austin last week. The truck sat unregestered and inoperative for more than seven years before Minor and his crew and friends all pitched in on the restoration. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Marine Staff Sgt Bill Harrell when he was in boot camp in 1999. HANDOUT
Marine Staff Sgt Bill Harrell and his son Austin in May, 2003. Less than a year later Harrell died during a firefight in Iraq. OCR - MARK AVERY
Austin Harrell, 7, holds a flag with a photo of his father, Bill, as his mother, Kelli Harrell, gives him a kiss. OCR - MARK RIGHTMIRE
November 2003 photo of Marine Staff Sgt Bill Harrell and his wife Kelli at the Marine Ball. HANDOUT

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